Delhi: 5, including pregnant woman dead after four-story building collapse
What's the story
The death toll in the four-story residential building collapse in Delhi's New Seemapuri area on Wednesday near Idgah Machhli Mandi has risen to five after two more bodies were recovered from the debris on Thursday. The deceased include a 12-year-old girl and Gulafsa, a 21-year-old pregnant woman. Eight others were rescued and rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital for treatment.
Investigation
Adjacent building was being demolished
North East District Magistrate Ajay Kumar said witnesses reported that a nearby building was being demolished, possibly causing vibrations that led to the collapse.
"Witnesses present at the scene reported that the adjacent building was undergoing demolition work, possibly using machinery that caused vibrations, which impacted this building, causing it to collapse," he said.
He also said that when the building came down, there were people on the road.
Official
Complaint had been filed
He said, "Based on inquiries with locals, it appears....some illegal construction had been undertaken in the adjacent building. A complaint had been filed regarding this."
"The owner of that building had agreed to remove the illegal section himself and engaged workers; for the past 3-4 days, they had been demolishing it using vibrating machinery. This likely triggered the collapse, especially given the nature of these small houses—the collapsed building spanned only about 22-25 square yards and had very thin walls..."
Ongoing efforts
Rescue operations underway
Rescue operations are still underway.
Multiple agencies, including Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Centralized Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) and NDRF teams, are engaged in rescue efforts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Shahdara Rajendra Prasad Meena said, "All agencies are present at the scene."
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta has directed all concerned agencies to expedite rescue efforts and provide necessary assistance.
"The situation is being continuously monitored," she said.